


tell me where the good men go

by independentwriter137



Series: all's well that ends well (to end up with you) [2]
Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Fairy Tale Parody, Fluff and Humor, Former Knight Kougami, Galavant AU-ish, Princess Akane, reluctant allies to friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:03:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24354733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/independentwriter137/pseuds/independentwriter137
Summary: “There’s something about him—his posture, maybe, or the cut of his jaw—that’s just so sharp, like a sword that would slice through its own sheath. The sight of him makes Akane stop short, overwhelmed with the complete certainty that this is the knight she’s looking for.He’s the one, Akane thinks, he must be.”In which Princess Tsunemori Akane seeks out legendary knight Kougami Shinya after her kingdom is invaded. What she finds, however, is an aloof knight-turned-mercenary with an aversion to royals and his chatty former squire.
Relationships: Kougami Shinya/Tsunemori Akane
Series: all's well that ends well (to end up with you) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758379
Comments: 15
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N. I love medieval AUs. I love ShinKane. It was bound to happen eventually. 
> 
> Anyway, this story takes a lot of inspiration from the TV show Galavant (no need to watch to understand the fic since the characters aren’t necessarily direct counterparts of each other and the plot doesn’t follow the show beyond the premise.)
> 
> This is also meant to be significantly more lighthearted/comedic than my other ShinKane fics, and this AU doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s meant to be fun and sometimes silly while occasionally messing around with fairy tale tropes. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it! Title from "Heaven Knows" by Five For Fighting.

When Tsunemori Akane reaches the village where the legendary knight Kougami Shinya is rumored to reside, she slows her horse down to a canter and heaves a sigh of relief. Her body is heavy with exhaustion, muscles aching from riding almost non-stop, but her heart pounds in her chest with the realization that she’s finally, _finally_ here.

“Excuse me!” she says to the old woman who passes by her. “Can you tell me where I can find Sir Kougami Shinya?”

A disgusted look crosses the old woman’s face before she narrows her eyes at Akane in suspicion. “Like I’d tell you. Last thing I need is the likes of you bringing more trouble ‘round these parts,” she says, already walking away.

Akane’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “But—” 

“You’ll find him when you find him, boy, but I’m not helping you. Lord knows that bastard’s a beacon for trouble.”

Akane’s still processing the words _trouble_ and _bastard_ and _boy_ as she touches her hair self-consciously, still unused to how short it is. For most of her life, her hair has been pulled back in all sorts of elaborate hairdos, held back with the finest pins and combs and braided so intricately that she could never undo the hairstyles without terribly knotting her hair.

This isn’t the first time she’s been mistaken for a boy since she was forced to cut her hair. It’s probably for the best that she’s not recognized, though at least when people knew she was a princess, they were polite.

“Did I hear you’re looking for Kougami?” someone asks. A lanky redhead strides up to her, an easy grin on his face. There are two paper bags full of fruits and vegetables cradled in his arms, and Akane’s mouth waters at the sight of fresh red apples. She can’t quite remember the last time she had a proper meal.

She clears her throat and smiles back at the friendly stranger. “That’s right. Do you know where he is? I need his help,” she says.

The redhead snorts, amusement obvious. “They always do. Follow me. I’m heading there anyway,” he says, walking ahead of her and she follows gratefully.

“Thanks for your help…uh…”

“Kagari Shusei,” he supplies. “And it’s no problem. Gotta say though, you don’t look like the type who’d be looking for Kou.”

“And what type would that be?”

Kagari shrugs and glances at her briefly. “Let’s just say you don’t seem like the type to get their hands dirty,” he says, then pauses thoughtfully. “Then again, maybe that’s why you’re looking to hire Kou in the first place.”

“What in the world are you people talking about?” Akane asks, her exhaustion beginning to turn her confusion into annoyance. “We _are_ talking about legendary knight Kougami Shinya, right?”

“Say that again?”

“Like in the songs? You know, _way back in days of old, there was a legend told about a hero known as Kougami_.” she starts to sing.

Admittedly, she’s not much of a singer, but Kagari doesn’t have to laugh _that_ hard. He’s almost doubled over, the apples nearly tumbling out of the paper bag.

“Unless you’re talking about a different Kougami,” she says, then her spine straightens abruptly as she starts to panic. “Oh no, unless you _are_ talking about a different Kougami. I didn’t realize it was a common name? What if I’m in the wrong place? What am I—”

“No, no, we’re talking about the same Kou,” Kagari reassures her, laughter dying down though his eyes remain bright. “In fact, we’re already here.”

Jerking his head in the direction of a house that has definitely seen better days, he says, “That shit hole is your gallant knight’s humble abode.”

Akane blinks in surprise, taking in the tiny house with a broken gate and boarded up windows. She’s not sure what she was expecting, but certainly more than this. It’s not exactly a shit hole, as Kagari so eloquently put it, but hardly a home befitting Kougami’s status.

Suspicion churns in her stomach and Kagari’s friendly disposition suddenly puts her on edge. Her parents always did berate her for being too trusting, too willing to see the good in people. She lays a hand on the hilt of her sword just in case.

“Are you certain?” she asks, eyeing Kagari warily.

Kagari smirks. “Oh, I’m sure alright. Especially since I live here too as his squire.”

“ _You’re_ his squire?”

“They never did mention me in those damn songs.”

Chewing on her lip thoughtfully, Akan considers turning back, but she’s come so far and if Kougami really _is_ here, then she’ll be walking away from her only chance. She can’t go back home empty-handed.

There are too many people counting on her for her to give up now. She owes it to her people to try, even if this does turn out to be a bust.

Mind made up, she dismounts on shaky legs and leads her horse to the stable post. Kagari hovers by the door, waiting for her.

“You’re gonna have to leave your sword,” he calls out. “Show of good faith and all that.”

“Right,” she mutters, reluctantly leaving her sword with her horse. The horse butts its head against Akane’s shoulder and she pats its head to placate it before turning back to Kagari.

The same easy smile still lingers on Kagari’s lips, though it does little to quell the bad feeling she has about all of this. The weight of the knife still in her boot provides a little comfort at least.

“Try not to mention the songs. Or that one poem about his abs,” Kagari says before pushing the door open. “Sir Kougami Shinya, I am pleased to announce the arrival of—” he yells before realizing he doesn’t know her name.

“Princess Tsunemori Akane,” she tells him.

“Wait, what? You’re a princess?!” Kagari yells in disbelief. “I don’t believe you!”

Akane’s cheeks flush. “I wouldn’t lie about that!”

“No way! For real?! You’re messing with me!”

“What the hell is going on, Kagari?” a gruff voice asks, annoyance apparent.

Akane pushes past the incredulous Kagari to step into the house and amber eyes meet grey. A man with a shock of black hair and a steely gaze sits up on a bed, a book held loosely in his hands. There’s something about him—his posture, maybe, or the cut of his jaw—that’s just so _sharp_ , like a sword that would slice through its own sheath.

The sight of him makes Akane stop short, overwhelmed with the complete certainty that this _is_ the knight she’s looking for.

 _He’s the one_ , Akane thinks, _he must be_.

“What do you want?” he asks, snapping her out of her reverie.

“Oh! I—I’m Princess Tsunemori Akane—”

“So I’ve heard.”

Heat rises to Akane’s cheeks as she unsuccessfully tries to smooth out the wrinkles in her tunic and trousers. When they parted, Shion said she looked like a stable boy.

“I—I know I don’t look the part,” she says, displeased with her stutter despite her embarrassment. Her mother taught her better than that. While she hasn’t necessarily been the most…conventional princess out there, she certainly knows how to hold herself like one when the situation calls for it. Ignoring the smudges of dirt on her face and her hastily cropped hair, she straightens her posture and raises her chin confidently _._ “You’ll have to excuse me, Sir Kougami. I was trying to _covertly_ escape my kingdom when the invading forces attacked. Heavy ballgowns and glimmering jewels didn’t quite say _stealth_ to me.”

Kougami barks what might’ve been a laugh if it wasn’t so harsh. “Let me guess then,” he drawls. “You need my help to reclaim your kingdom.”

“Well, essentially, yes.”

“Find someone else. I don’t deal with royals,” Kougami says, leaning back and turning his attention back to his book as if she’s already gone.

Akane’s jaw drops in shock. “But you’re a _knight.”_

“ _Was_ a knight,” Kougami corrects without looking up. “Past tense, Princess. More of a mercenary now.”

“But you were _the_ knight! I’ve been hearing stories about you since I was twelve! You can’t be a mercenary! What happened to truth and justice and honor? You’re supposed to be a _hero!”_

“Guess this is why they say never meet your heroes,” Kagari mutters behind her.

Akane whirls on him, arms akimbo as she trembles with righteous fury. “You said you were his squire!”

“And I was!” Kagari says, hands held up defensively. “I still do the same stuff even though he’s a mercenary now instead of a knight. Honestly, it’s just semantics at this point.”

“And you’re okay with this?!”

Kagari shrugs. “Eh, job market’s tough.”

Akane’s budding headache hits her full force as she struggles to keep her emotions in check. _Find Sir Kougami and get him to help you, they said. It will be easy, they said._ Akane takes a deep breath and grounds herself. She needs to take a step back and think about this rationally—levelheadedness has always been her greatest strength after all.

Fact: She’s a princess and she needs Kougami Shinya’s help.

Also fact: Kougami Shinya is now a mercenary who refuses to help royals.

These two facts are incompatible, which means only one of these things can be true. The equation has to change, or rather, _she_ has to change one of the variables. It certainly won’t be the former, so it must be the latter—but _how?_

She’s startled out of her thoughts when Kougami speaks.

“You know better than to bring people like her here, Kagari.”

“What are you gonna do, Kou? Fire me?”

Kougami sets his book down in frustration and moves past her and Kagari to head outside. Her only shot at saving her kingdom is literally walking away and Akane doesn’t hesitate to follow him.

“Kougami, stop!” she says, but he doesn’t slow his pace. If anything, he speeds up and Akane’s too tired and too angry to run after him.

“I said, _stop!”_ she yells as she yanks off her boot and hurls it at him as hard as she can. It connects with an audible _thud_ against his back that makes him stumble.

They both freeze.

Then, very slowly, Kougami turns to her. “Did you just throw your boot at me?”

She refuses to be embarrassed and stands with as much dignity as a princess only wearing one boot can muster.

Her problem is that she’s been trying to reason with a knight when she should have been trying to reason with a mercenary. She won’t make that mistake again.

“Kagari described this place as a shit hole,” she says, ignoring Kagari’s faint, “ _It is!”_

“What’s your point?” Kougami asks.

“My point is that a mercenary works for whoever will pay them. From the looks of it, you haven’t been paid very well so far,” she says, wrinkling her nose. “The stories didn’t lie about your wit, did they?”

“I’m not an idiot if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good. Then I shouldn’t need to tell you how financially beneficial it would be for you if you were to help me save my kingdom.”

“If we succeed.”

“ _When_ we succeed.”

Kougami sighs and runs a hand through his already messy hair. “You know, things don’t always work out like they do in your fairy tales, Princess.”

“I know,” she says wryly. “Otherwise, I’d be talking to a knight.”

The corner of his mouth twitches up, and Akane feels a rush of accomplishment. She presses her advantage. “Think of it this way, Kougami. If you help me, we’ll pay you so well that you’ll never have to accept another job again—from a royal or from anyone else for that matter,” she says. Then, because a part of her still can’t accept that the Kougami she’s heard about for so long is completely gone, she adds, “Please think about it at least. There are people I need to protect. I can’t do it alone.”

“You could ask anyone else.”

“They don’t write songs about anyone else.” Then, more seriously, she says, “And I’m not asking anyone else. I’m asking you.”

Kougami considers her for a long time. She’s not sure what he’s looking for, but she sees the moment he finds it. His shoulders relax and with the sunlight hitting him just so, she can almost see the knight he used to be.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Princess.”

She heaves a sigh in relief as Kagari _whoops_ in the background. “Thank you,” she says earnestly, then shuffles awkwardly as the grass starts to make her foot itch. “I’d, uh, also like my boot back.”

“Right,” Kougami says, picking up the boot.

“Are you gonna put it on her Cinderella style, Kou?” Kagari teases.

“Kagari, I swear to _God,”_ Kougami growls as Akane rolls her eyes.

He tosses the boot back to her and Akane slips it back on, wiggling her toes insider her boot in relief.

“We leave in the morning,” Kougami says.

“Makishima won’t know what hit him,” Akane says.

Kougami’s entire body tenses and his expression dims. “Did you just say Makishima?” he asks, voice like ice.

“Yes?” she says uncertainly, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor.

Behind her, Kagari snorts. “Been a while since I heard that name. If Kou had any reservations left about helping you on your quest, they’re gone now, Your Highness. _Heh,_ Makishima. You should’ve led with that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is this almost 4K words? Idk? I need more impulse control?

Akane knows a thing or two about knights—an occupational hazard from being born into royalty. She’s used to the knights that make up her father’s army, especially acquainted with Kunizuka, Hinakawa, Sugo, and Ginoza, the select few who serve as her royal guard. Most of them are steadfast, if not a little quiet. Loyal to a fault with a sense of duty that seems to come above all else.

She’s also met her fair share of freelancers—travelling knights who were bound to no kingdom, who did good wherever and whenever they could. They were loud and boisterous, a story of their heroics always on the tips of their tongues. Fun in small doses and exhausting when they linger.

Knights all fall into certain patterns with small deviations that allow for individuality, and Akane’s had years to master and recognize these patterns when she sees them.

But then there’s Kougami Shinya.

Kougami, whose replies when he decides to join the conversation go from terse to deeply philosophical. Kougami, who somehow treats their quest with a single-minded focus and cool detachment all at once. Kougami, who is sharp and intimidating until she or Kagari manage to pull the faintest of smiles from him and then she’s left with no choice but to stare in wonder.

He is a walking contradiction, always throwing her off just when she thinks she’s got him pegged, and he’s driving her _insane._

Five days of travelling with him and his presence is just as confusing as it was when she first walked into his terrible excuse for a home and found a mercenary instead of a knight.

Somehow, she finds this confusion infinitely more frustrating than Kagari’s constant off-key singing of the same six songs on loop.

When they stop to water the horses, Kougami announces that he’s going to scout ahead and marches off without looking back, leaving her alone with her thoughts and Kagari’s singing.

Akane plays with horse’s mane, the fine hair like silk sliding between her fingertips. The desire to ask Kagari about Kougami burns in her throat, but actually asking him feels like an admission of interest that she’s not comfortable with. Eventually, her curiosity wins out.

“Can I ask you something?” she asks, interrupting Kagari’s ditty about a hero’s journey.

“Shoot,” he says easily.

“Was—” she starts, then cuts herself off to purse her lips and roll the question over in her mind again. More carefully this time, she says, “Why did you decide to stay with Kougami after he became a…you know.” _What was he like before? Surely there must be a reason you haven’t left him yet,_ she thinks but doesn’t say.

Kagari hums, tapping his fingers on his saddle. “Look, I wasn’t lying about the job market. I didn’t exactly dream of being a squire when I was a kid, but considering the family I was born into, I was never going to be a knight myself. Or be anything above working class, for that matter. People like me are born into a category and die in that category. We don’t have a lot of options,” he says.

Akane’s first instinct is to offer some word of comfort, to say that she understands the feeling, but does she really? It’s one thing to be limited by family, by expectations, and another thing to be limited by society itself. Any words she might offer sound hollow even in her own mind, so she says nothing and simply nods for him to continue.

“It was hard enough getting hired as his squire in the first place. Do you know how many candidates I had to beat up—ah, _beat out_ to get the gig?”

“I can imagine. He was a famous knight.”

“And that’s exactly the thing! You’re a princess. You _must_ know how irritating those guys can be.”

“They’re…” Akane pauses trying to think of the right word. “They can be overbearing,” she settles on.

“They’re jackasses in fancy tin cans,” Kagari deadpans. “Their heads are so big that they can barely put on their own helmets.”

Akane stifles a laugh before remembering that her mother’s watchful eye isn’t here and allows herself to laugh loudly. “They are awfully egotistical, aren’t they?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Kagari rolls his eyes. “So that’s what I was expecting when I applied to be Kou’s squire—to be an underpaid, glorified slave with no vacation days who works for a jackass in a can, barely better than a dog.”

“And is that how it was?”

“Not at all. Kou was a lot of things, but he treated me like a friend. He’s not all that different from how he is now, I guess. Less broody, maybe. Less prone to staring out into space angrily as he flashbacks or whatever. A little more naïve and a little less on his mind and a sincere desire to do good. I used to think all knights were in it for the glory, but not Kou. I guess that’s why I stayed even when he quit. Kou can call himself whatever he wants, can convince himself he’s lost his savior complex, but the core of who he is hasn’t changed. Why do you think we still live in that shit hole? He calls himself a mercenary, but he rejects more jobs than he accepts.”

“What do you mean? I thought mercenaries do anything for the right price?”

Instead of answering, Kagari suddenly grins at her. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” he asks.

“I—I don’t want him to think I’m prying,” she sputters.

“Why would you care what Kou thinks, hm?” Kagari’s grin turns sly and he leans in close enough to invade her personal space. “Are you in love?”

Akane starts laughing at the very idea of it, so hard that she wraps her arms around her stomach to steady herself. _In love?_ With _Kougami?_ Who she’s known for a total of five days? She may be a princess, but even she doesn’t buy into the fairytale nonsense of love at first sight.

Frustration, definitely. Curiosity, sure. An odd sense of connection, maybe.

But _love?_ Please.

“Oh hey, Kou, glad you’re back!”

Akane whirls around, willing herself not to blush and Kougami looks suspiciously from Kagari and back to her. Kagari rambles on and on about one of their old adventures as if picking up the conversation from where Kougami interrupted with his arrival.

“There’s a village up ahead where we can restock our supplies,” Kougami says, and if Akane isn’t mistaken, there’s a hint of amusement in his tone.

She practically scrambles up her horse in her hurry and grips the reins a little too tightly. “Excellent! Let’s go!” she says, voice an octave higher than usual.

“Everything alright, Princess?” Kougami asks, the corner of his mouth quirked.

“Yup! Village! Let’s go!”

Kougami raises an eyebrow at Kagari, who simply shrugs in faux innocence.

“You heard the Princess, Kou. Yup! Village! Let’s go!”

Akane prays for the ground to swallow her now.

* * *

When they arrive at the village, Akane dismounts gratefully, excited at the prospect of a warm meal and a soft bed. She stretches her arms over her head and sighs when her back cracks.

“Something wrong, Kou?” Kagari asks, taking the reins of Kougami’s horse away from the mercenary.

Kougami’s sharp gaze sweeps over the village, eyes narrowed at the near-empty streets. “There should be more people out at this time of day,” he says. “And the ones that are out are hurrying home.”

Now that he’s mentioned it, Akane notices how quiet it is here. There are no vendors greeting customers in the streets, no children running around and laughing, no one milling around to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the nice weather. If Akane’s estimation is right, then there’s still about an hour and a half left of daylight, but everyone seems to be acting like the day is already over.

Strange, indeed.

Kagari shrugs. “Maybe they just get off work early here. I’d be at home all day if I could.”

“Maybe,” Kougami says, though his voice doesn’t lose its edge of suspicion.

They find a nearby tavern easily enough, though now that Akane has noticed the quiet, it’s hard _not_ to feel unsettled. The houses they pass by have their windows firmly shut and Akane can’t shake the feeling that everyone is hiding from something.

Akane half expects to find the tavern closed too, but the door swings open and a portly man greets them warmly. The tavern is small, but comfortable, though space is hardly an issue when there’s only a couple other people here.

“We’re closing the kitchen soon, but we’ve got some stew if you’re hungry,” the tavern keeper says.

Kagari’s eyebrows shoot up. “Closing the kitchen so soon? The sun hasn’t even set yet!” he complains.

“Best not to wait for that to happen,” the tavern keeper says cryptically. “So you want the stew or not?” He shoots an uneasy look at Kougami, starting to squirm under the mercenary’s scrutiny. Akane feels a touch of sympathy.

“Yes, and two rooms please,” Akane says kindly, and the tavern keeper flashes her a smile before going to get their food.

“Maybe we should’ve just camped again for the night,” Kagari says, leaning back and balancing on the chair’s back legs. “This place is giving me the creeps.”

Kougami shakes his head. “We’d probably be worse off then,” he says. “The people aren’t a threat. They’re afraid. My guess is that they’re spooked by something in the forest.”

“The forest?” Akane asks, peering to see the edges of the forest barely visible through window. “Are you saying we’d be in danger if we had camped out there tonight?”

“It’s possible. Judging by the people’s behavior, it’s also possible we’re in danger here. From what exactly is anyone’s guess.”

“It can be a freaking dragon for all I care. As long as it attacks after dinner, we’re cool,” Kagari grouses.

He perks up considerably when the tavern keeper returns with three hot bowls of stew, the smell of the food making Akane’s stomach grumble in anticipation. Food hadn’t been an issue for her back at the castle. Akane’s finding that a lot of things hadn’t been an issue for her back when she was treated like royalty.

“You’re just passing through, I’m assuming,” the tavern keeper says.

“That’s right,” Kougami replies.

“Well, in case you end up staying longer, I outta warn you about the Beast,” the tavern keeper says.

“Really? You call it capital B, the Beast?” Kagari groans. “You can’t just keep taking regular words and capitalizing them when you’re stuck for a name, you know.”

“It’s got a name!” the tavern keeper defends. “We call him Senguji.”

“I guess that’s better,” Kagari muses. “Alright, continue with your info dump.”

“My what?”

“Stop interrupting the man, Kagari,” Kougami scolds.

“Sorry, Kou.”

“ _Anyway,”_ the tavern keeper sighs, then begins his story as they eat.

As the legend goes, the beast was once a man with too much ambition and too little sense, who sought a body that would not age even as days turned into months turned into years turned into centuries. He made a deal with a spirit, and as with most deals, his wish was granted with a catch—no human body could resist the hands of time, and so he was given a new form completely.

No one has seen the beast, technically, though his presence is felt in the disappearing livestock, in the deep scratches on the forest trees, and in the travelers who entered the forest and never found their way out.

The villagers say Senguji enjoys the hunt, and if you listen hard enough, you’ll hear the distant echo of his victims’ screams and the beat of their feet against the forest floor.

Akane listens to the tale in rapt attention, eyes flickering to the edges of the forest visible from the tavern’s window as if the beast could show itself at any moment.

The tavern keeper warns them not to go out once it’s dark, then clears their plates and bids them a goodnight.

“What a tale, huh?” Kagari muses, stretching his arms over his head before letting out a massive yawn.

“Do you think they’re lying?” Akane asks.

Kagari shrugs. “Every village has a tale. Nine times out of ten, your local Senguji’s a wild boar.”

“Still though…” Akane says, watching as the sun begins to set behind the tree line. “Maybe we should check it out? The village people are pretty scared.”

“Our job is to take down Makishima, Princess, not protect a random village,” Kougami says.

“So that’s it?” Akane asks, incredulous. “We’re just supposed to ignore people who need help because it’s not in the job description?” _Is this what Kagari meant when he said Kougami turned down more jobs than he accepted?_

“You’re not paying us to help them.”

Akane balls her fists up in frustration. So much for a still intact savior complex.

“If that’s all you care about, then maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities then, Kougami.”

The words slip out and hang in the air, filling the silence with the weight of their implications. Years of etiquette training have yet to successfully rid Akane of her tendency to speak her mind, even when it’s considered out of turn. A princess is always pleasant, polite _, respectful_ according to her mother, and Akane has never quite understood why those things must come at the expense of speaking the truth and doing what’s right.

She eyes Kougami’s tense stance and braces herself for his anger, for his dismissal, for his threat to give up on the quest completely, but it never comes. Instead, his shoulders droop as if the weight of whatever baggage he’s been carrying has become too much and he lets out a sigh that deflates the tension between them.

“Good night, Tsunemori,” he says.

Akane blinks, at a complete loss for what to say. Kougami continues walking and Kagari turns to her, flashing Akane two thumbs up before catching up to Kougami. He whispers something to Kougami that causes the mercenary to shove the former squire away, though that does little to quell Kagari’s laughter.

Shaking her head to snap her out of her stupor, Akane considers turning in like Kougami and Kagari, but her attention drifts back to the forest.

She’s been coddled for most of her life—by her parents, by her royal guard, always having to depend on _someone_. When Makishima invaded her kingdom, she couldn’t do anything. She was useless. Everyone was so busy protecting her, but who was protecting _them?_ What good was all the power she’s supposed to have as a princess if she can’t help anyone _?_

The sky rapidly darkens above her and her sword weighs heavily on her side. Still, the forest calls.

She takes a step, then another and another, wondering what it will be liked to be a protector instead of the protected.

* * *

The moonlight kisses the forest with its glow and the air buzzes with the presence of something not quite natural.

Akane draws her sword, the hilt a comfortable weight in her hands. Masaoka’s secret training sessions are about to serve her far better than any of her formal lessons, and she hopes he’d be proud of her if he was here.

She’s deep into the forest when her foot catches on something. Expecting to find a tree root, Akane jerks back when she sees a very human rib cage. The rest of the path is littered with bones.

Her grip on the sword tightens, but she steels her nerves. She let fear get the best of her in front of Makishima. She won’t make the same mistake twice.

Then, she hears it.

She dives out of the way just as a sinewy tail smashes into the tree she was next to just a second ago. Rolling into a crouch, she narrows her eyes at Senguji as the massive beast approaches.

If he truly was a man once, he’s become more lupine than human. Sharp teeth stained with blood glint in the moonlight, his eyes glowing a deep red as his three-pronged tail swings behind him. The prongs are almost as sharp as her blade, and Akane’s stomach lurches when she sees the deep grooves in the tree that could’ve been her.

Senguji whips his tail towards her again without warning, and Akane swings her sword in a wide arc. The sword meets flesh and Senguji howls in pain as the end of his tail thumps harmlessly to the ground. His blood sizzles and evaporates on her skin.

She surges forward, and Senguji seems startled that she’s attacking instead of running. He recovers from his shock and she twists, narrowly ducking when Senguji snaps his teeth at her face. She makes a swipe at his neck, but the cut is too shallow, and she’s knocked to the side when he thrashes in pain.

The skin of her left arm stings and her head is throbbing terribly, but she rises to her feet again just as Senguji’s jaws lunge for her. There’s no time to dodge, and she grits her teeth as she thrusts her sword into the beast’s mouth, the blade slicing through the soft tissue of his throat.

Senguji rears back, howling as he shakes his head to dislodge the blade. His snapping jaw lodges the blade deeper.

Seeing her chance, Akane takes the knife from her boot. She slides under the beast and makes a clean slice from his neck to the underside of his belly. Steam rises from his blood as he bleeds out, and Akane leans on a tree as her chest heaves from exertion.

Senguji’s blood red eyes meet hers and for a second, he looks terribly human as he dies.

When he stops moving, Akane registers how lightheaded she feels and sinks to her knees in exhaustion.

She thinks she imagines someone calling out her name, but then she’s being picked up and cradled to someone’s chest. Akane manages to open her eyes and she recognizes Kougami’s unruly dark hair, though she can’t understand what he’s saying.

 _Strange_ , she thinks groggily. His eyes are almost blue in the moonlight.

“Good night,” she manages to murmur before everything goes dark.

* * *

When she wakes up, there’s a bandage on her head and some sort of ointment on her skinned arm. Breakfast is waiting for her at the foot of her bed.

She eats quickly, then changes into her spare set of clothes, feeling infinitely better though her head still throbs dully. When she opens her door, she finds Kougami on the other side with his fist raised as if he was about to knock.

“Kougami,” she says in surprise, then remembers her manners and steps to the side. “Please, come in.”

She takes a seat at the foot of the bed while Kougami hovers near the door.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“Fine, actually. A little sore, but alright.”

Kougami nods, gaze flitting from her eyes to the bandage on her head to the raw skin on her arm. “The fumes from Senguji’s blood were poisonous, but you didn’t inhale enough of it to do any real damage,” he says.

Akane tilts her head to the side, still unable to figure out one thing. “How did you find me?”

“I went to your room to tell you that I was going after Senguji,” he says. “When it became clear you weren’t there, there was only one other place you could be.”

Akane’s lips part in surprise. “You were going to go after Senguji?” she asks.

“Risking my neck’s what I’m supposed to do, isn’t it?”

A stab of guilt makes Akane drop her gaze to the floor, but she takes a breath and forces herself to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry about what I said before. I was out of line. You’ve given so much of your life to helping people, and I’m sure something big must have happened for you to change your, uh, _profession_. I can’t ask you to risk your life. It’s not fair of me to pressure you into putting yourself in danger. That was wrong of me and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t think I’ve ever heard a royal apologize before,” Kougami muses, then shakes his head. “You were right, actually, about getting my priorities straight. I’ve been a mercenary for a long time now and I’d forgotten why I became a knight in the first place. A lot of things have changed, but my priority was, and always should be, to protect people, not just to take them down.” His expression is soft as he speaks, his demeanor lighter than she’s ever seen it. “If I have to follow someone, I’m glad it’s you, Akane. Your people are lucky to have you.”

Her vision unexpectedly clouds with tears that spill down her cheeks, relief surging through her so strongly she can barely breathe. Perhaps there’s hope for her yet as a princess, though not as any kind of princess she was raised to be. She is done with having the people protect her when it is her duty to be protecting the people. Akane silently swears that someday, she will be someone her entire kingdom can be proud to follow.

She wipes her tears away and takes a shaky breath.

“Thank you, Kougami,” she hiccups through her tears, and she’s not sure which part she’s thanking him for, but he seems to understand.

He lets out a quiet laugh. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard a royal say thank you either,” he says.

Akane starts to laugh too. “I think I’d like to never be anything like the royals you’ve encountered before.”

“You aren’t.”

The little squeeze her heart gives at the words definitely isn't love, Akane thinks, but maybe, just _maybe,_ she'll concede that it's not nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys caught all the nods to the original series. My favorite part of writing AUs is always figuring out how to rework canon scenes into a new verse. Hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
> 
> As always, comments are very very appreciated. The world sucks but you guys a much-needed bright spot. Stay lovely <3
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr as indy-mickey where I post fandom stuff and talk about fic sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it! Quick disclaimer that Akane’s desciption of Kou is a nod to the PP novel and to a line from the Percy Jackson series.
> 
> Anyway, I’m thinking this will be 2 or 3 parts? Feedback is always appreciated (literally one of the only things keeping me sane with *gestures vaguely to the world* going on right now). Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr as indy-mickey where I post Psycho-Pass stuff and talk about fic sometimes.


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